


can i be close to you?

by tikii



Category: Cytus (Video Games)
Genre: Angst, Canonical Character Death, F/F, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Music, Singing, nekopaff week 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-14
Updated: 2020-06-19
Packaged: 2021-03-03 19:15:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 5,474
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24710683
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tikii/pseuds/tikii
Summary: in which neko and aroma bond**a string of non-related one shots for nekopaff week**CYTUS 3.0 SPOILERS !!!!
Relationships: Asakura Neko | NEKO#ΦωΦ/Aroma White | Paff
Comments: 9
Kudos: 32





	1. game

**Author's Note:**

> “Oh!! Neko has a surprise for all of you!! There will be a guest joining Neko in playing the game of today!” 
> 
> The live-chat erupted in excitement and confusion.
> 
> mikumikuoeeoo ; a guest ???? who is it ???
> 
> æsirsucks ; Tell us!! Tell us!!
> 
> crackhead ; Come on!!
> 
> ————————
> 
> day #1 of nekopaff week ; game

“Yoo-hoo! We’re live!” Neko threw her hands in the air with a whoop, watching as her watch count skyrocketed into the hundred-thousands in the span of two seconds. “Ooh… look at all these viewers! Neko might break another viewing record…”

_ baldNess ; You say that every stream! _

“Neko says it because Neko believes it will become true! And Neko’s last two streams broke records, too.” She puffed her chest out proudly before cutting herself off with an excited squeak, her eyes widening. Ignoring the confused messages in her live-chat, she spoke, her eyes twinkling with excitement. “Oh!! Neko has a surprise for all of you!! There will be a guest joining Neko in playing the game of today!” 

The live-chat erupted in excitement and confusion.

_ mikumikuoeeoo ; a guest ???? who is it ??? _

_ æsirsucks ; Tell us!! Tell us!! _

_ temmy ; Come on!! _

Neko giggled. “Alright, alright… Aroma-chan! Come join Neko in the camera!” 

Aroma awkwardly waddled into the camera, plopping down next to Neko, her shoulder rigid and her face bright red. “H-hello! I’m really… happy to be here with Neko today!” 

“Aroma-chan is joining Neko in playing today’s stream game!” Neko grabbed onto Aroma’s shoulders and shook her slightly, grinning when Aroma began to giggle. 

(Don’t blush, Neko told herself. Do  _ not  _ blush.)

“A-anyway,” Neko picked up two controllers and handed one to Aroma. “We’re playing a newly discovered game from the past - it’s called Minecraft! Sensei Neumann excavated it a week ago, and it was finally released this morning!” 

_ ariaria; Sensei discovered it?? Didn’t he discover Tik Tok too? It was renamed Neu Neu, right?  _

“He did,” Neko hummed, booting the game up. “But he doesn’t like it when Neko talks about it.” Neko winked at the camera. “Which is  _ precisely  _ why Neko is going to talk about it for the next three minutes while we wait for Minecraft to start.” 

“...S-Sensei gets really upset every time Neko brings it up. He says he regrets it.” Aroma added quietly, a shy smile on her face. “Especially when Neko does the dances.” 

_ zenHen ; OMG!!!! SHOW US NEKO!!!  _

_ depresso_expresso ; show us the renegade!  _

“Fine, fine-“ Neko stood up, still in range of the camera. “Neko is only doing this to fill in the time for Minecraft to start, though.”

Aroma turned around in her chair and giggled as Neko began to do the ‘renegade’, a dance rediscovered with the excavation of the Neu Neu. The live-chat went insane as Neko danced, typing out excitements and exclamations as Neko finally finished her dance. She striked a pose in front of the camera, her face flushing when Aroma began to clap.

“Very good, Neko!” She praised. 

_ lunareclipse ; … Is it just me or is Neko’s face really red?  _

_ brekdakore ; hmmmmmm _

Neko rubbed the back of her neck and sat back down, taking the controller in her hands. “Neko hopes she did the dance well~!”

Aroma hummed. “You definitely did! Don’t… don’t let Sensei see you do it, though.” 

“Knowing him, he probably already did.” Neko said with a shrug. “Minecraft is ready! Are you ready, Aroma-chan?” 

“Y-yes! You just… have to teach me how to play it.” Aroma nodded, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. 

“Of course! We’ll learn as we go.” Neko exclaimed. “Okay… Sensei told me he modified it so that we could play on the same world together, so let’s try it out! Who’s ready?” Neko beamed at the camera as Aroma gave a soft, adorable ‘whoop!’

_ shinebrightlikeadiamond ; i’m So ready _

_ madlassmads ; YAAAAS GET INTO IT !!!! _

_ tictactino ; We’ll finally get to see PAFF playing video games!  _

“The world is… blocky.” Aroma furrowed her eyebrows, testing some of the controls. “Oh… it is all cubes?” This is… odd. What are we supposed to do?”

“I guess we’re about to find out!” Neko grinned. “Let’s punch some trees!”

“P-punch trees? What’s that going to do?“ Aroma frowned. 

“Aroma-chan, here’s how this is going to work,” Neko leaned against Aroma’s shoulder for a split second, grinning devilishly at her. “Neko is going to make  _ all  _ the mistakes so that you don’t have to! And then you can do all the right things!”

“...okay.” Aroma giggled. “You can punch some trees now, Neko.” 

Neko whooped and began to punch the blocky trees, gasping when a smaller cube fell onto the ground. “Oh!! Neko did something! Neko did something!”

“...wood? Oh, you got some wood!” Aroma gasped, clapping her hands together. “There’s… text in the upper corner. For a… crafting recipe?”

“Well, we found the ‘craft’ part of the game.” Neko said with a snort, leaning against Aroma’s side a little more. Her cheeks felt a little hot, but she played it off with a smirk. “Let’s see what we can make… wood planks? Ooh, they look  _ lit.”  _

“You can make stocks too!”

“What happens… if Neko makes sticks…” Neko hummed, pressing a couple of buttons, then gasping in excitement. “Neko can… make a sword. And an axe! And a pickax… woah, we can craft a  _ lot _ .”

“Ooh!” Aroma squealed, wiggling around in her seat excitedly. “I’ll get some wood, too!” 

_ yimyam ; aww … they’re so cute together 🥺🥺 _

_ rhys’pieces ; 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺 _

It took them a  _ while  _ to figure out the mechanics of the game - they didn’t know what to do with their swords, they figured out what to do with their axes, but they broke almost immediately, and they had no idea what to do with their pickaxes. 

They eventually figured it out and started mining in a cave to get coal and resources, but apparently there were  _ mobs  _ and  _ monsters  _ in the game too, and there was a zombie going to attack Neko.

Neko shrieked and kicked her legs out, her eyes widening. “Aroma-chan! There’s a zombie!”

“I’m on it!” Aroma day up a little more, an expression of concentration appearing in her face. “Mm… my sword!”

“Aroma-chan-!!!” Neko yelped, hunching her shoulders to her ears. 

“I got you! I’ll protect you, Neko!” Aroma exclaimed. She moved her analog stick and mashed her button, letting out a laugh of relief. “I-I did it!”

“You’re amazing, Aroma-chan!” Neko wrapped her arms around Aroma with a grin, crushing her in a hug. Aroma laughed and clutched onto Neko’s arms in reply, resting her cheek on Neko’s head. 

“Aww…” she giggled shyly. “Thank you. This is… this is really fun, Neko.”

Neko pulled away with an excited gasp, her eyes twinkling. “Does… does that mean that you’ll play more video games with Neko in the future?”

Aroma clapped her hands together. “Yes! I… I really would.” 

Neko squealed excitedly, cheering happily. “Yes!! We’re going to have so much fun together, Aroma-chan!” 

_ nekofan#1 ; ,,,, i ship it.  _


	2. sing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aroma hummed in concern, wrapping an arm lazily around Neko’s waist. “Would you… allow me to sing to you? Maybe that would help.” 
> 
> “...” Neko was silent for a moment, practically having an argument with herself. Aroma was clearly tired and ready to go to sleep, and Neko didn’t want her to have to sing half asleep, but at the same time…
> 
> Aroma’s voice was soothing. It… it might help her. It might help her fall asleep without any issues. 
> 
> —————
> 
> nekopaff day two - sing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> spoilers for 3.0 !! also , this is the everyone lives au so >:3

Even after the Weather System was stopped and peace was brought to the Nodes - even after they were able to free Vanessa and help her and Ivy in their transition to the human word, Neko still couldn’t get the events of what had happened out of her head.

Before she went to sleep every night, she was haunted with thoughts of Cherry’s death, her near-death at the hands of drones and architects, and the thought of… the stream that killed some of her followers.

Neko couldn’t sleep. And she had always tried to hide it from Aroma, but tonight, it might be a little impossible. Aroma was sleeping over - again - and it was almost two in the morning. Neither of them were asleep, but Neko could tell that Aroma was beginning to nod off a little bit, her head falling to rest on Neko’s shoulder. Neko let out a small sigh and wrapped an arm around Aroma, realizing that she wasn’t going to fall asleep anytime soon.

“Neko…” Aroma mumbled sleepily. “Go to sleep…”

Neko huffed. “Neko isn’t tired.” 

That definitely wasn’t the truth, and Neko  _ hated  _ lying, but she had to keep this facade up. She didn’t want to bother Aroma, and it was clear that Aroma was about to fall asleep herself, so right now would be the  _ worst  _ time to bring up… Neko’s feelings.

Aroma hummed in concern, wrapping an arm lazily around Neko’s waist. “Would you… allow me to sing to you? Maybe that would help.” 

“...” Neko was silent for a moment, practically having an argument with herself. Aroma was clearly tired and ready to go to sleep, and Neko  _ didn’t  _ want her to have to sing half asleep, but at the same time…

Aroma’s voice was soothing. It… it might help her. It might help her fall asleep without any issues. 

Apparently, Aroma made the decision for her, because she started sleepily humming the beginning of her song  _ Bring the Light _ , curling more into Neko’s side. Neko made sure that the blankets were snug around them before letting out a small exhale closing her eyes, letting Aroma’s soft voice fill the silence of the room. 

_ Everytime we hide, _

_ In the shadow that can make us feel love, _

_ Eat the sorrow drink a cup of fear… _

_ Ready to be found  _

_ In the darkest place, _

_ Where my soul was buried -  _

_ I’m begging… don’t set me free…  _

...how was it possible that even when half asleep, Aroma’s voice sounded so  _ good?  _

Neko relaxed her shoulders and let Aroma’s light chase the darkness lingering in her mind, smiling lightly to herself as Aroma softly continued the song, her speech becoming a little more slurred as time went on.

_ Turn around and bring the light, _

_ Billion shining stars are waiting to arrive - _

_ Grab your ticket, we’re about to leave… _

_ Make a wish! _

_ Raise your hands and start to dream, _

_ Swimming with the crowd like we are on the sea, _

_ Nothing’s gonna… blow away our tears… _

Neko felt herself beginning to doze off, letting herself succumb to the pull of sleep that was tugging at her. She held Aroma a little tighter and whispered a small, ‘thank you’ into the silence of the room, a sleepy smile forming on her face when there was a small kiss planted on her cheek.

“...love you, Neko.” Aroma whispered.

“...love you too.” 

That night, Neko was free of any nightmares, dark thoughts and memories, content with simply holding Aroma and cuddling with her, the warmth seeking into her bones and the light coming in to comfort her. 

(In some ways, Neko could argue that Aroma was magical.)

(In every way, Neko could say that meeting Aroma was the best thing that ever happened to her.) 


	3. relax

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ...it was so weird to just sit down and not do anything after weeks of doing everything at once. In a sense, Aroma knew that she needed this - she needed a break after everything she had been doing recently. 
> 
> (Imagine if she fainted on stage again? Passing out from exhaustion in front of a live crowd? That would be terrible.)
> 
> —————  
> day three ; relax

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :3

It had been such a long time since Aroma had time to relax - she was singing day in and day out, hopping between performing on stage as PAFF and singing in Node 03 as Kaori. She was visiting Neko on her way to a concert, and then it started  _ pouring. _

So, Aroma was stuck at Neko’s until the rain passed.

...well, she wasn’t  _ stuck.  _ That wasn’t a nice word to use. She just had to stay there for the time being! 

And she didn’t want to complain or seem ungrateful. She was happy with staying with Neko.

She was just… she had been so all over the place and on the move for the past couple of weeks and now she just had to… relax and take it easy. This was fine! 

It was fine.

Neko and Aroma were sitting on the couch in front of the tv, a small bowl of chips in between them. Neko munched on some chips as she scrolled through the channels on the tv, gasping when she stopped at a show she really liked.

It was… an anime of some sorts. There was a lot of action right from the beginning, and all Aroma could think was  _ that’s so Neko,  _ and she did so with a smile. 

“Aroma-chan! Are you okay with watching this?” Neko asked almost pleadingly, bouncing in place. Aroma let out a small giggle and nodded, reaching for a blanket on the side. 

“Of course. Could you please… lift the bowl of chips? I’m… kind of cold.”

“Oh my god! Of course!” Neko lifted the bowl and helped Aroma lay out the blanket over their laps. “If you were cold, you should have said something.” 

“Sorry…” 

“Don’t be sorry! Let’s just relax and watch this show for now - this is going to be a fun day.” Neko hummed, wrapping an arm around Aroma. Aroma curled into Neko’s side with a shy smile, her cheeks heating up.

“...okay.” Aroma wrapped an arm loosely around Neko’s waist and got herself comfortable, feeling antsy already. 

...it was so  _ weird  _ to just sit down and not do anything after weeks of doing  _ everything  _ at once. In a sense, Aroma knew that she needed this - she needed a break after everything she had been doing recently. 

(Imagine if she fainted on stage again? Passing out from exhaustion in front of a live crowd? That would be  _ terrible _ .)

At the same time, it was going to be hard to just let loose and relax. She was already fidgeting and shifting every now and again, unable to focus on what was happening in the show. Neko laughed at one point, and Aroma was a beat behind, laughing nervously. 

Neko gave her a weird look but didn’t say anything, directing her attention back to the show. Aroma gulped and shifted again, her eyes flickering over to the color flashes of light and motion painting the screen. She was able to pick up on a couple of things - a few names, where they were, and a couple of ‘master moves’ - but the lack of motion was beginning to bother her.

“Aroma-chan… stop moving. You’re making me nervous.” Neko joked, resting her cheek on Aroma’s head. 

“...s-sorry. I just… can’t seem to relax.” 

Neko let out a soft gasp and sat up, causing Aroma to squeak and move away. Neko paused the tv and helped Aroma sit up, turning Aroma around so that her back was facing Neko. 

“N-Neko? What are you… what are you doing?”

“Giving you a massage! Duh.” Neko puffed her chest out proudly, putting her hands on Aroma’s shoulders. “You may not know this, but Neko is really good at giving massages!”

“...I trust you.” Aroma said with a small giggle, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. 

Thus, Neko began her massage. 

And she was  _ right _ . Neko was actually really good at giving massages.

It hadn’t even been three minutes and Aroma was already feeling less tense. After a couple of more minutes of massaging, Neko turned Aroma around and kissed her forehead, then her cheeks, then her nose. 

“W-what was that for?” Aroma squeaked, her face feeling hot.

“Good luck! And what - is Neko  _ not  _ allowed to kiss her girlfriend?” Neko asked with a small pout. Aroma giggled, scooting forward and hugging Neko.

“You’re right. Thank you, Neko. That really helped.”

“Hopefully you can relax now! And be warm under this blanket.” Neko helped to rearrange the blanket and wrapped an arm around Aroma again, tugging her close so that Aroma’s legs were laid out across her lap. “You can relax now, Aroma-chan.”

Aroma hummed gently, resting her head against Neko’s shoulder.

...it was a lot easier to relax now.

Suddenly, Aroma felt tired. 

She curled into Neko’s side a little more and closed her eyes, the sounds of the show that Neko was watching slowly fading into white noise as Aroma drifted.

(...Aroma would  _ never  _ complain about rain ever again.) 


	4. crush

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Neko rolled over and screamed again. 
> 
> She was in trouble. She was in so much trouble.
> 
> (...stupid Aroma. Stupid, perfect, beautiful, funny, kind Aroma.)
> 
> —————
> 
> day four ; crush

Neko had a crush. She realized it at two in the morning as she was listening to one of Aroma’s new songs, heat rushing to her cheeks and disbelief flooding her system.

She had a crush on  _ Aroma.  _ She had a crush on PAFF herself, and she had been very vocal about her hate for PAFF before on iM. She had taken it back with a couple of iM posts after the Incident, but she still couldn’t believe it.

Goodness, she had a crush on  _ Aroma. _

If she wasn’t already in bed, she would have dropped on the floor. 

And then, she started thinking about it. Now that she was thinking about it, everything that Aroma did… made butterflies appear in her stomach. Whenever Aroma smiled or spoke, Neko could feel the heat rushing to her cheeks. 

...Aroma herself was like a bright light that split all the darkness in Neko’s world. Aroma was the warmth that wrapped around her in times of coldness and uncertainty.

Aroma was…  _ amazing. _

And Neko realized this all at two in the morning, listening to Aroma’s song ‘Make U Mine’.

And, she realized this with the thought:

_ It would be nice if Neko was able to make Aroma-chan her’s. _

Neko rolled over, buried her face into her pillow and  _ screamed,  _ her scream being muffled by the pillow. She hated that this came out now, she hated that it was so sudden, and it was so  _ late and- _

Oh goodness she  _ really  _ had a crush on Aroma, huh? 

Neko rolled back into her back and grabbed her phone, going to open iM. She scrolled down until she saw Aroma’s latest post, which was a new song, and went to create a new post.

_ Everyone better go listen to PAFF’s new song!!! Go now, or else I won’t stream this week >:33 _

...if she wasn’t able to… say how she was feeling out loud, then she might as well show her affection in other ways.

She watched as her likes skyrocketed and comments rolled in, all of them saying that they were going to go listen to Aroma’s new song. Neko rolled over onto her side and pressed her phone to her chest, trying to stomp down on the butterflies in her stomach. Then, her phone buzzed, and she quickly picked it up to look at it.

_ PAFF_OFFICIAL left a comment on your post _

**_< 3_ **

Neko rolled over and screamed again. 

She was in trouble. She was in  _ so much trouble. _

(...stupid Aroma. Stupid, perfect, beautiful, funny, kind Aroma.) 


	5. cold

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ...I wish… I would sing for everyone one… last time..
> 
> ——————
> 
> day five ; cold

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> spoilers for 3.0 !!!!  
> i realize this is kind of early but it’s fine

Neko’s hand had been cold for a long time before Aroma started to feel the effects of the virus being shot through her system.

She knew that with her ability of the Eye of Horus, she was granted with more resistance to the virus. But she had been exposed to it constantly over the past couple of hours, and when Nora finally dropped, hugging Robo’s head to her chest with weak sobs escaping her, Aroma knew that she wasn’t going to last much longer.

Part of her wished that she didn’t have this ability - part of her wished that she hadn’t been granted more resistance so that she didn’t have to watch all her friends die and drop to the floor, one by one. So that she didn’t have to watch Simon and Joe reaching for each other, only to fall short by a couple of inches before they took their final breath. So that she didn’t have to watch Rin cry as she held Sagar’s body close to her chest, shutting herself almost immediately after Sagar let out his last, pained puff of air. So that she didn’t have to watch Conner try to run out of the building (she had never seen him so  _ panicked _ ), the name ‘Sasha’ escaping his lips, only to drop by Simon’s body seconds later. So that she didn’t have to watch and hear as Nora’s sobs slowly became weaker and fainter, her body going slack against Robo’s broken head. 

So that she didn’t have to hear the screams and sobs of Vanessa a couple of stories above her, wanting to clasp her hands over her ears everytime Vanessa yelled out for Ivy, her voice broken and filled with grief.

_ Helena. Aroma wanted Helena.  _

_ Where was Helena? She was probably already dead somewhere, at home or on the streets, or fleeing to Node 13- _

Aroma couldn’t even muster up the strength to wipe her eyes with her free hand. She simply sat there, half leaning on the wall and half leaning up against Neko’s cold body, her other hand limply clutching onto Neko’s as tears streamed down her face.

She couldn’t even bring herself to let out a sob. 

Aroma could never recall a time where she had felt this cold, both literally and in a metaphorical sense -

There was a chill in the air. The Weather System had messed up everything, and she could see out of the corner of her eyes how flaming hot sunlight slowly turned to rain, then snow. 

Neko’s body was cold. All warmth had left it seconds after Neko whispered out her final goodbye and an ‘I love you’, going limp against Aroma’s shoulder as Aroma sobbed, begging her to wake up, begging her to say something else  _ please don’t leave me, Neko, I can’t be alone please don’t leave me- _

There was no warmth to be found anymore. No light. No hope. All of humanity was slowly being wiped out as Aroma felt herself fading, as she watched the snow begin to fall harder. 

She had read in history textbooks that humanity had been given a second chance after the first sweep of Ender. She thought that someone would have been able to find a vaccine - a cure for it, or that humans had just begun to evolve to be immune to the virus and handle it as it was a cold. 

But no. There was no hope. No second chance for humanity anymore.

Aroma let her cheek rest on Neko’s head, wishing that she would be able to feel the warmth radiating off of Neko once more - even if just for a couple of seconds. 

She didn’t know why she was fighting it at this point. All her friends were long gone - there was no one else in this world. 

Aroma let herself go slack, her body beginning to numb up as the virus quickly did what it did. She weakly squeezed onto Neko’s hand one more time, struggling to breathe. 

_...I wish… I would sing for everyone one… last time.. _

_ … _

_...I will see you soon.  _

With one last squeeze and one last gasp for air, Aroma finally let herself succumb to the darkness. 

...it was cold. 


	6. gift

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now, Aroma was never very good with words. She always expressed herself through her songs and… actions more than words themselves. And she couldn’t really come up with a way to thank Neko-
> 
> Until Neko came into her room with a bag of chips, raving about this new pair of headphones with small cat ears on top, and they were pink and black and they were bright and Neko was really excited about them.   
> __________________  
> day six ; gift

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SORRY THIS IS LATE LSDKJBGLJH

Neko had done… so much for Aroma. Not only did Neko take Aroma in when she was on the streets, running from Mono and the spotlight, she stayed beside Aroma throughout this whole ordeal, providing support and even saying that she trusted her enough to collab with her again. So much had come out of the past couple of months, and Aroma wouldn’t change it for the world, despite the ghosts that came after everything had happened. 

Now, Aroma was never very good with words. She always expressed herself through her songs and… actions more than words themselves. And she couldn’t really come up with a way to thank Neko-

Until Neko came into her room with a bag of chips, raving about this new pair of headphones with small cat ears on top, and they were pink and black and they were  _ bright  _ and Neko was really excited about them. 

“Neko doesn’t think that she will be able to afford them, though… Neko has to save up until her next stream. Maybe Neko will open donations again…” 

Neko continued to scroll through her phone, sitting down next to Aroma on her bed. “Neko hopes that the headphones will still be available by the time she gets more donations…”

“...where did you see them?” Aroma asked, suddenly getting an idea. 

“At the electronics store two blocks away! Neko thinks… it was called Barbs?” 

“Ah. I see.” Aroma smiled and nodded, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “Just curious.”

“Okay…” Neko gave her a weird look and went back to scrolling through her phone, holding it a little farther from her face when Aroma looked over her shoulder to look with her. 

Aroma left a little later, an idea in her mind and determination sparking in her chest. She was going to get those headphones for Neko, and she was going to get her a gift and attach a small thank you note… and it was going to be really nice. 

Aroma plugged in the name of the store on her phone and walked the two blocks, stopping in front of an electronics store that had the headphone on display. She took a deep breath and walked in, jumping a little when the bell at the door jingled.

She walked around the store a little bit, feeling a little lost and completely out of her element. Then, she bumped into a store worker and asked them where the headphones were, and they directed her towards the back where boxes of headphones were held.

...there was one pair of headphones left.

Lucky her.

Aroma took the box in her hands, a small smile forming on her face. This was… so Neko. It was bright and pink and it just gave her… such good vibes. No wonder why Neko wanted these headphones.

Aroma jogged up to the cashier and slowly placed the box on the counter, taking out her phone to pay with AppPay. The cashier began to ring her up, then got a really good look at her face and paused.

...oh boy.

“...I’m sorry. Are you… are you PAFF?” They almost shrieked. 

Aroma found herself shushing the clerk, her cheeks flaring with heat. ”Please, keep it down…”

“You  _ are.  _ Oh my gosh. I can’t charge you for this!” 

“N-no, please-“ Aroma showed the clerk her phone. “Please treat me like an… everyday, regular customer.” 

“Anything for you, Miss PAFF.” The clerk chirped and scanned her app, putting the headphones in a bag. “Have a nice day!”

“...t-thank you.” Aroma smiled shyly and quickly shuffled out of the store, just in case anyone else saw or heard her and were taking photos. The press would be here in the matter of  _ seconds  _ if information got out to the public that she was roaming around, and that’s exactly what she wanted to avoid.

Luckily, she got home safely and ran to her closet, trying to find some sort of gift bag that she could use. Helena usually puts them in this closet…

“Looking for something?” Aroma turned around and saw Helena holding a gift bag, a grin on her face.

“...yeah. Thank you.” Aroma jogged over to Helena, giving her a quick hug before taking the gift bag. “Do you… know where I can find some paper?” 

“Yeah! Wait here.”

_ Bless Helena.  _

By the end of the night, Aroma had a present, gifted with a small note, feeling accomplished and satisfied. The first thing she was going to do tomorrow was give Neko the gift, and she was going to have a little rant about how much Neko meant to her and -

Oh. Oh she really wasn’t good with words-

But she had to be! She had to show Neko how much she meant to her.

So, the next morning, Aroma got dressed, hugged Helena goodbye and ran out, making her way to Neko’s house in the matter of minutes. She held the bag behind her back, butterflies jumping in her stomach.

_ This was a bad idea, this was a bad idea- _

Neko came to the door, dressed but clearly still half-asleep. “...Aroma-chan? Whatcha doing here?”

“Here!” All of Aroma’s rehearsed lines went  _ down the drain  _ and she held the bag out to Neko, her cheeks flaring. “I-I got you something!”

“A-Aroma-chan…” Neko suddenly looked uncertain. “You didn’t have to-“

“I-I did!” She squeaked. “Because you’ve shown me nothing b-but kindness! And support! And I wanted to show you how much I appreciated you and everything you’ve done and how much I love you-“

“Aroma-chan…” Neko teared up. “You don’t need a gift to tell Neko that-“

“Just open it! Please.” Aroma looked away, her face red and hot. Neko took the box out of the bag and gasped, her eyes widening.

“...oh my god. Aroma-chan, these were so much-“

“Don’t worry about it!” Aroma jumped forward, putting her hands awkwardly on Neko’s shoulders. “I… I wanted to say thank you. For everything.”

And then she stood on her tip-toes and gave Neko a quick peck on the cheek.

Neko blinked, her face flaring red as she stared at Aroma with wide eyes. “Wh- A-Aroma-chan?”

“I-I’m sorry, I didn’t-“ 

And then Neko was kissing her.

…

_ Neko was kissing her. _

Suddenly, the gift wasn’t such a bad idea after all. 


	7. piano

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Neko probably should have seen this coming the moment she knew that there was a piano room, but she didn’t really think of it at the time. Conner had given them the ‘utmost privilege’ to look at his excavated instruments, and he had a room that belonged to the piano and the piano alone. It had great acoustics and it was really big, and the piano was in the middle of it all.  
> _____________________  
> day seven ; piano

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is early >:3

Neko probably should have seen this coming the moment she knew that there was a piano room, but she didn’t really think of it at the time. Conner had given them the ‘utmost privilege’ to look at his excavated instruments, and he had a room that belonged to the piano and the piano alone. It had great acoustics and it was really big, and the piano was in the middle of it all.

Neko knew the moment she had lost Aroma in the giant building that belonged to Conner’s instruments that Aroma was in the piano room.

But Neko had never heard Aroma playing the piano before, and she felt like… it was almost intimate. Neko could hear the piano from all the way down the hall, and she felt a little… nervous going to get Aroma.

So, she stood at the edge of the half-open door, leaning against the wall. Aroma was playing the piano beautifully, playing a complex intro of what seemed like a structured song. 

...it was so beautiful that it seemed to rival Conner’s piano play9ing.

_ Time is fading away, _

_ So much has been lost to date… _

Neko felt almost dirty listening in - she felt like she was intruding on something. And yet, just like always, she was entranced by her voice, and she was glued in place. 

_ All of our sacrifices, our love should suffice _

_ In this tribulation, oh. _

_ Gravity is pulling me, _

_ but I learned how to anchor myself to my feet _

_ With this new-found strength, _

_ I will carry your burdens together with you... _

_ Yes, our love will come through… _

There was a small pause and Neko held her breath, standing totally and completely still. She let out a small sigh of relief when there were a couple of quiet piano notes to fill in the sudden silence. 

_ There’s many reasons to grieve the past _

_ but I chose to rise above it all _

_ Forgiveness is power, the healing that last _

_ So let this beat in your heart, _

_ Forevermore… _

_ La la la la la la~ _

Neko moved closer to the door, peeking into the room. Aroma was playing the piano softly, her eyes bright and a small smile on her face. As she vocalized, Neko peeked in a little more, making sure not to lean on the door too much. A soft gasp escaped her lips when Aroma hit a rather high note, a grin on her face unlike anything that Neko had seen before.

(...seeing Aroma so happy made butterflies appear in her stomach, and her heart squeezed with affection.) 

_ Gravity is pulling me, _

_ but I learned how to anchor myself to my feet _

_ With this new-found strength - _

_ I will carry your burdens together with you… _

_ Oh, there’s many reasons to grieve the past _

_ you must choose to rise above it all - _

_ Can you hear me? _

Neko was suddenly making direct eye contact with Aroma, her cheeks flaring with shame at being caught. Aroma simply smiled and giggled, gesturing with her head for Neko to come closer. Neko twisted her sleeve and jogged over to stand next to Aroma, shame burning in her chest. 

_ Have I finally reached you? _

Aroma slid her fingers down the piano, scooting over a little to make room for Neko to sit. 

_ Won’t you believe, _

_ Forgiveness is power, the healing that lasts, _

_ So let this beat in our hearts, _

_ Forevermore… _

Neko slowly sat down as Aroma finally finished her song, hitting the last of the piano keys slowly and softly, ending with a soft puff of air and a small smile. “...you caught me.” Aroma giggled, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. 

“...Neko is sorry, Aroma-can - I was just…your voice is-”

“Don’t be sorry.” Aroma’s cheeks turned pink. “It was… nice to share this moment with you. I’m glad you got to hear me sing.” 

“...now that she is thinking about it, Neko hasn’t heard that song before.” Neko said with a small frown. “Is it… is it new?”

“Yeah! It’s like… a reflection song.” Aroma said sheepishly. “About my journey. It’s cheesy, I know.”

“...Neko likes cheesy.” Neko said with a grin. “It sounded amazing! And… when you’re ready to release it, Neko will be the first one to help spread it!”

Aroma laughed, resting her head on Neko’s shoulder. “Thank you… I… I love you.” 

Neko smiled. “I love you too.” 

Aroma sang the final part of the song she just sang, her voice echoing throughout the room.

...it was music to Neko’s ears. 


End file.
